1. Technical Field
Embodiments of this disclosure relate to a fixing device including a rotary fixing member to fix an image to a recording medium and an image forming apparatus incorporating the fixing device.
2. Description of the Related Art
Image forming apparatuses are used as, for example, copiers, printers, and facsimile machines employing electrophotographic techniques, or multifunction peripherals having at least one of copying, printing, and facsimile functions. Such electrophotographic image forming apparatuses may employ a fixing device including a fixing member (e.g., a fixing belt) to fix a toner image on a recording medium. Such a fixing device may include a grinding member to grind a surface of the fixing member to recover a surface state suitable for fixing operation. For example, a grinding member removes scratches of a fixing member, which are caused by a separation pawl provided near the fixing member, so as not to be noticeable. Alternatively, a grinding member recovers the surface roughness of a fixing member occurring in a passage area of an edge of a recording medium. Further, the passage number of recording media is counted, and the grinding member performs grinding operation after a print job ends and at a timing at which the counted number reaches a predetermined number.
Further, as an example of the control of grinding operation of such a grinding member, a control method is known which counts the passage number of recording media, finishes print operation at a timing at which the counted number becomes a predetermined number, and performs grinding operation. Alternatively, a control method is known which determines whether to perform grinding operation depending on whether the number of recording media on which images have been fixed and the number of recording media on which fixing operation is to be performed exceed a predetermined number.